OT: Pro Tennis Thread

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Sudz
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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by Sudz »

rhymes450 wrote:
Fri Sep 10, 2021 4:12 pm
Sudz wrote:
Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:40 am
Why are the matches tonight at 3 and 7 EST?

Should be 6 and 9!
Strikes me that it could have something to do with attracting the largest possible global TV audience. For example, 3 pm in New York is 9 pm in most of continental Europe, meaning that the first of the two semis will have optimal viewer ratings in that part of the world. Mind you, I might be way off the mark with that reasoning.
Ahh, good point. At least the 7 match started late and went 5!

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

What a US Open this has been. Despite the lack of Stars’ power, this has been one of the m ost unpredictable, surprising, tumultuous and exciting tennis I have watched recently. And we are talking rock n’ roll tennis here, punishing powerful and sometimes exhausting rallies from the ladies and men’s draw going the distance.

From the girls finals on Saturday to the history in the making on Sunday, this was a brilliant Open. What a future the ladies have when they discovered two uprising superstars in Fernandez and Racunacu. The Canadian winning the hearts of the crowd and so graceful despite her tough loss to Emma.

How about Medveded taking care in surprising fashion the hopes and aspirations of Nole? As I mentioned earlier, Daniil was due but I would be lying if I said he would do it in straight sets. With an unorthodox style of tennis, he overcame key break points in the match, had some nerves serving for the match at 5-3 but closed it brilliantly as the crowd wanted to see more tennis.

He’ll win more majors in the next couple of years.

Fatigue perhaps finally caught up with Novak, but what a fantastic year he had as his 2 main combatants struggled with injuries.

And the world will still have to wait as to who will win 21 GS majors among Roger, Rafa and Novak.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

It has been a great US Open 10s.

Emma made history, and if you consider that she was outside the world's top 300 before qualifying for Wimbledon and making the fourth round there, her achievement is up there with any in the history of tennis. For an 18 year old ranked around 150 before the US Open to come through three rounds of qualifying and win seven main draw matches (all in straight sets) to take the title is mind-blowing. And my impression is that she's gone from being number 300 in June and being lucky to get a wild card into Wimbledon to being just about the best player in the world. I really wouldn't fancy anybody's chances against her right now. Leylah had a tougher draw and maybe that caught up with her a bit yesterday but the way these two girls hit the ball and move make me think that they're ready to take the women's game onto a different level.

Medvedev has been outstanding over the last few years. He didn't bring it in Melbourne, which surprised me, but he was outstanding today. The occasion definitely got to Djokovic but even the best version of Novak would have found Medvedev tough today.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Watched only parts of the match. In the second set, he was losing it, he hit the ball into the net and wound up like he was going to smash the ball as the ballgirl was running to pick the ball up. Made her stop.

Then a few points later, he mis-hits what I think was a second serve and he smashes his racket on the pavement.

On another forum, bunch of people were saying Novak was GOAT, especially if he wins this US Open. Suspect a lot of Serbians.

He probably doesn't care but he has to ask himself why fans are against him in pretty much all parts of the world.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

Novak, obviously knew what was at stake. It’s literally impossible to win all four GS in a calendar year in the modern era. The tantrums he showed were clearly indications that he knew his opponent was having a great game but at also at his inability to break Daniil when he was ahead 40-0 in a couple of occasions where if he succeeded he would have won the crucial second set.

Tantrums like that is nothing new, we saw the experts in Nastase, McEnroe, Connors and Kyrgios in that department.

What’s so ironic is that despite losing the biggest match of his career, he finally was embraced by the NY crowd and probably around the world when he showed all his emotions at the end of the game. Those were not crocodile tears. The crowd was pulling for him today, so despite his disappointment at conquering history, he may have finally been accepted by the long time die-hard tennis fans.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Hmm Medvedev is only 25. Seems like he's been around longer.

He's hitting many of the same strokes as Djokovic, the two-handed backhand as well as the backhand slice, top-spin forehand.

Djokovic has improved his serve and is charging the net more often behind big serves.

Djokovic also using more drop shots to break the long baseline rallies here and there.

Medvedev seems very low-key though, don't recall him being overly demonstrative like Djokovic.


Hope to see Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Thiem win more GS going forward.

Hope the US has more young prospects coming. It's been a long drought since Sampras.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by F308GTB »

Surprised there has been no chatter on the upcoming Australian Open and the whole Novac situation.Anyway, let the 2022 games begin!

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

They're waiting until the last minute to decide whether to deport him.

I think first matches start in the next day or so.

The false info he gave on his entry forms could potentially result in him being banned for 3 years, not just this year.

Australian public seems to want him deported yet the organizers must think he's a big draw.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

F308GTB wrote:
Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:41 pm
Surprised there has been no chatter on the upcoming Australian Open and the whole Novac situation.Anyway, let the 2022 games begin!
My opinion on this matter would eventually turn political which is a No no here and frankly not worth it.

Novak is a great player, the current #1 player in the Universe. There was simply a misconnect between the way the Australia government does business and their Tennis federation. A technicality if you will. And for that I blame them for carrying this needlessly to the attention of the world. When you hear Novak’s parents talk, you just roll your eyes. :roll:

His ambition is crystal clear, to become the best ever, to win his 21st GS event in a country he just dominates. At all cost, despite the clear rules by the Aussies where they held one of the longest restrictions and lockdowns in the world.

Sorry, I don’t care who you are, but if you’re not vaxxed you should not play.

And he will be punished severely once the final decision is made just in time for the opener on Monday, and hope that other countries particularly those that are hosting Grand Slam events follow suit.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by fsquid »

The PR was horrible. Instead of Tennis Australia and the province/state of Victoria, announcing the decision, you had the player announce it as he was getting on a plane via Instagram. I think if the government announced it first, you would not of had the backlash that it did.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

fsquid wrote:
Mon Jan 17, 2022 4:57 pm
The PR was horrible. Instead of Tennis Australia and the province/state of Victoria, announcing the decision, you had the player announce it as he was getting on a plane via Instagram. I think if the government announced it first, you would not of had the backlash that it did.
Some of the adverse reaction is the Djokovic isn't as liked by many fans as Federer or Nadal.

Even before his weird ideas about healing were known widely, there were things that were off about him.

There might not be quite the same schadenfreude to him being denied the chance to play the AO if he was better-liked. His family's press conferences didn't help the perception either.


Supposedly some minister in France said all athletes coming for the French Open must be vaccinated. So he might be facing the moment of truth, either get vaccinated or see his chances to break and set a new GS record dwindle away.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

As unnecessary as this situation came for him, this is the moment for him to step aside and finally make the difference and influence all those Tennis fans and other sports figures in his position to get vaxxed, gather his Serbian scientists and get the correct information.

Novak has a special diet he’s followed for years, we know he’s a great tennis player and as I mentioned before, it looks like France and UK won’t welcome him either if he’s not vaxxed by the time those GS take place.

But he’s chasing history, I believe he can still win 2-3 GS, but not under his rules. He can change all this, forget the stupid comments his parents keep making, the conspiracy spreaders and make the change.

Not just for himself, but his many fans and casual viewers that his story have brought around the world the last couple of weeks.

He can be a true leader if he wants to and change all that negative image he brought to himself even before Covid.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by Dave »

Well said, 10spro. This is a self-made problem and it is up to him on how to move forward.
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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

Cilic has been playing very well for a few months now but he was awesome today against Rublev. Reminded me of Flushing Meadows 2014. Rublev has a deserved reputation as a big hitter but he got blown away today. Thought Amanda Anisimova did very well to close it out against Naomi Osaka. She was hitting the ball pretty big.

And Medvedev was fun in his post-match interview after taking out Kygrios. I love they way he's not afraid to "take on" fans he thinks are out of order. Mannarino has done exceptionally well to take out Hurkacz and Karatsev (gruelling match). Maybe done Rafa a favour there???

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

rhymes450 wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 4:01 pm
Cilic has been playing very well for a few months now but he was awesome today against Rublev. Reminded me of Flushing Meadows 2014. Rublev has a deserved reputation as a big hitter but he got blown away today. Thought Amanda Anisimova did very well to close it out against Naomi Osaka. She was hitting the ball pretty big.

And Medvedev was fun in his post-match interview after taking out Kygrios. I love they way he's not afraid to "take on" fans he thinks are out of order. Mannarino has done exceptionally well to take out Hurkacz and Karatsev (gruelling match). Maybe done Rafa a favour there???
Good points there mate. You could just see the confident in Cilic today, working out the points wisely to set up for his big forehand. I like Medvedev’s chances here although you can never discount Rafa’s never give up attitude. Keeping an outside look for the Canadians, they can surprise a few advancing already to the second week, F.A. Alliasime looks pretty confident after his good performance in NY last year.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Heard that the unknown Serbian guy that Djokovic would have played in the first round has made it to the fourth round.

So he's earned about $250k as a result.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

10spro wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 5:13 pm
rhymes450 wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 4:01 pm
Cilic has been playing very well for a few months now but he was awesome today against Rublev. Reminded me of Flushing Meadows 2014. Rublev has a deserved reputation as a big hitter but he got blown away today. Thought Amanda Anisimova did very well to close it out against Naomi Osaka. She was hitting the ball pretty big.

And Medvedev was fun in his post-match interview after taking out Kygrios. I love they way he's not afraid to "take on" fans he thinks are out of order. Mannarino has done exceptionally well to take out Hurkacz and Karatsev (gruelling match). Maybe done Rafa a favour there???
Good points there mate. You could just see the confident in Cilic today, working out the points wisely to set up for his big forehand. I like Medvedev’s chances here although you can never discount Rafa’s never give up attitude. Keeping an outside look for the Canadians, they can surprise a few advancing already to the second week, F.A. Alliasime looks pretty confident after his good performance in NY last year.
For sure 10s. Canada's got a couple of great players in Alliasime and Shapovalov. Medvedev looks good to me too but some big threats still in the draw. This guy Cressy is a bit left-field so we'll see what he can do. I think Taylor Fritz is in the mold of the Canadians. He's got huge potential. With Nadal looking good and Monfils and Cilic enjoying a new lease of life, things look very interesting. Sinner and Berretini still around too. Berretini showed a lot of character against Alcaraz. Looks like we'll be entertained over the next week.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

wco81 wrote:
Sat Jan 22, 2022 7:42 pm
Heard that the unknown Serbian guy that Djokovic would have played in the first round has made it to the fourth round.

So he's earned about $250k as a result.
Number 77 in the world so obviously an excellent player but he has definitely taken advantage. I expected Sonego to come through against him. Wonder how a Kecmanovic win against Novak would have been received in Serbia had Djokovic been permitted to play.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

That tiebreaker between Mannarino and Rafa was one for the ages. It could have gone either way obviously but in the end it just drained all the energy from the Frenchman that just couldn’t keep his legs going.

How about Shapo? Beating the #3 player in the world is no easy feat and to do it in straight sets, was rather impressive. As I was mentioning, the Canadians are playing well and sneaking in and could surprise a few. His match up with Rafa will be a firecracker.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

Shapovalov did really well to come back from 5-3 down to win the second. Agree the match with Rafa should be a cracker. They've had a few great matches in the past but as far as I know, this is the first meeting in a slam. Thought Madison Keys looked really good against Paula Badosa. Like the kind of loose and natural style way she hits her strokes. Berretini looking good too. Going to be tough for Monfils, though for the first time I can remember, he's has reached the latter part of a slam without having to go through hell and high water so he should be fairly fresh. Would love to see him winning the tournament but can't really see that happening.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Nadal first to 21 majors.

Not a fan of Djokovic but I think he’d have beat Nadal if he played. Not sure if he’d have beaten Medvedev.

Nadal is an absolute bulldog. He willed himself to victory against a 25-year old with a big serve — aces were like 28 to 3 — but in a 5.5 hour marathon, it was the guy at the start of his athletic prime getting his legs rubbed down between games, not the guy 10 years older.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

Can’t think of any sport, unless you’re into marathons where two athletes are going at each other’s throat in a thriller for 5+ hours playing top quality tennis. What a comeback for Rafa. Here’s a guy that many were saying he was good only for Clay tournaments, that he couldn’t play at this level past the age of 30, and here he is near 36 years old and the first player to reach 21 Majors.

Some of his most crushing defeats were at Melbourne park including a classic with Federer, but this one got to be right up there for him in terms of comebacks.

Djoko, gotta think hard about where he wants to be with his vaccine status, can’t help but think that deep inside him, he’s kicking himself. He’s got a lot of tennis left of course, but with many countries denying entry to the unvaxxed, he’s gotta reproject his thoughts.

Rafa was almost out and out already during the 5 setter vs Shapo a few days back where injury seems to catch up to him, but yeah, he’s a fighter, just love that never say die attitude in him. A true Torero!

But congrats to a great Aussie finals, despite the tough beginning that took tennis’ attention away, some top quality tennis was witnessed this weekend, and I stayed until the wee early morning to witness this. :oops: Gotta nap now…

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by rhymes450 »

Great match and an amazing comeback by Rafa. Both of them were clearly feeling it physically after the first two sets so the next three hours or so must have been tough as hell. Arguably the biggest achievement of Rafa's career, given how Roland Garros played out and how he came into the tournament, and the fact that he was two sets down against a player who's just about as good as anybody on a hard court. Awesome!!!

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by 10spro »

When I first heard of Carlitos Alcaraz a couple of years ago, I was curious as to why some fans were comparing him to the great Nadal. Still at the young age of 19, the progress he’s made the past year or so is of leaps and bounds. He may not have Nadal’s hair at the same age of 19 but I can easily see his heart and tenacity from Rafa’s game.

I remember I was pretty impressed with him already at the last US Open last year and I think I even mentioned about his potential then.

Fast forward to 2022 and Alcaraz has won already two key clay tourneys including the Madrid open today while having impressive wins already over Nadal, Djoko and toying today with the #3 player in the world A. Zverev. And I mean he made it easy vs the German.

The French Open is a couple of weeks away already and I am going to say that he’s going to be one of the favorites already to win it all.

This kid is impressive.

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Re: OT: Pro Tennis Thread

Post by wco81 »

Yeah they're running the highlights. I don't think the Madrid Open was televised in the US was it?

So can he play on the hard courts though? I guess the more he strength trains, the better his prospects will be on the hard courts.

Does he have a big serve and forehand or backhand? I saw he got Djoko on a few points with the drop shot.

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